Mississippi Crossing Band takes its name from gigging on both sides of the River and from its eclectic set lists of acoustic covers that cross the full range of the American Songbook. Over the last decades, as we played St. Louis coffee houses, senior homes, neighborhood celebrations, music bars, and farmers markets, we found that our covers of John Prine’s songs were warming embraced by audiences. We’re excited to play Blue Strawberry, where his lyrics, capturing so many sides of human nature, can be heard and appreciated.
At Prime John Prine, sure, we’ll play Paradise, Angel from Montgomery, and I Only Want to Dance with You, his best-known songs. And we’ll provide everyone with words for a few of the choruses. It’s a listening room, but we’ll give you four or five times to join in. But you’ll also hear some that may be new to you, or one’s you haven’t heard in decades, like Crazy as a Loon, Sam Stone, or Same Thing Happened to Me.
Mississippi Crossing Band is Dan Helinger, on fiddle, mandolin, and guitar. Dan played with Sutton Street Shuffle and Maple Jam Band. Retired from Webster U. Dale Wilson, also once a Shuffle member, also chimes in sometimes with his harp or banjolin. Dale’s often seen calling Contra dances around town. Percussionist Kathy Corley, formerly with Samba Bom, is a filmmaker whose work includes biographies of The Dillards, Henry Townsend, Brewer and Shipley, and (soon) early women blues singers. We all sing, but the best pipes in our group without question belong to Bob Clipper, whose is also a fine guitarist.